Montgomery County council member announces $1 million to shore up crisis and senior services after on‑site tours

Silver Spring — Council member Lori Ann Sales announced a $1,000,000 special appropriation to Montgomery County’s fiscal year 2026 operating budget after touring the county’s crisis center and emergency housing sites, saying the money is intended to “prevent temporary harm from becoming permanent damage.”

Sales, who chairs the county Health and Human Services Committee, made the announcement at a press conference in Silver Spring after visits to a 24/7 crisis center and short‑term motel sheltering sites. “This emergency appropriation is our response, and it sends a clear message,” Sales said, adding that “aging in place with dignity is not a luxury.”

County staff and crisis‑center employees described high demand for behavioral health and housing services during the tour. At the crisis center, an on‑site staff member who identified herself as…